Posted by Grant on Thursday, 8. October 1998 at 14:02 Bali Time:
In Reply to: Ubud or Nusa Dua posted by Sylvia on Thursday, 8. October 1998 at 12:24 Bali Time:
Sylvia welcome to the forum. This will not be you only posting here. You will be bitten by the BaliBug and you will be drawn back time and again. The restaurant recommendations were spot-on, but you will discover you own as well. Let me assure you about the four days: It will not be enough. You will just get enough to firmly implant the BaliBug into your systems amd you'll be back within a year. Ignore all the negative postings that you have read. These are written by people who should really holiday in their local Club Med. Bali is beautiful and so are it's people. See through the rubbish on the streets and the shabby dogs (they look AWFUL but are re-incarnations). Be patient with the hawkers; they are only attempting to eke out a meagre living from tourists whose wealth they cannot comprehend.
Anyway, enough of my ramblings. Back to your questions... . .
Nusa Dua to Ubud, by (blue) cab will take about one hour. Nusa Dua is not really Bali. You need to get out of those touristy areas up into the hills around Ubud and even further north up to Singaraja and Lovina. These areas have not been (shall we say) spoiled by too many tourists or hawkers. If you wish to shop in a department store, my wife and I generally shop in the Matihari shopping complex in Kuta or Denpasar and also the Tiara Dewata store between Denpasar and Sanur. For the usual t-shirts, wooden things, 'antiks' and other guff, any stall on any street or beach will provide you with all you could possibly want. There are many lanes (gangs) that are wall-to-wall stalls selling anything from wooden frogs to their mothers!!.
Do venture into Kuta. Have a look at the Beach Market beside the Grand Bali Beach hotel in Sanur. Try to get to Besakih (the Mother Temple: Holiest area in Bali). Walk the streets of Denpasar and even go to the 'Central Market' (Den Pasar).. the combination of smells will overwhelm you. I could go on forever about Bali. Just get out in the little time you have, and have a look around. Explore. Talk to a few of the hawkers. They are as curious about us as we are them. Have a cold beer on the beach while watching the world go by. Enough, enough, enough already !!!
You'll be back, I can assure you.
Best wishes and happy trails
Grant